Electricity demand this summer will be below last year's record levels, though supplies will be tight and prices will be higher, industry and government officials said. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission based its outlook for reduced power demand in New England, New York, the mid-Atlantic and California on forecasts calling for cooler weather than last summer, which was the second-warmest on record since 1936.

Here are some things Californians deserve from their power providers: a fair and reasonable price for electricity, household bills that are easy to understand and based on the actual cost of producing power, and rates that encourage conservation yet don't punish low-income customers who can't afford to make their homes more energy efficient. The price of a kilowatt hour should speak, and this is what it should be saying: Don't waste energy, and if you can avoid it, don't run your dishwasher or do your laundry at times when California's power plants are already straining to meet demand.

To find out more about the restructured electricity industry and how to shop for power in the new market, consumers can turn to several sources: The California Public Utilities Commission runs a publicly financed education campaign, answering questions and providing brochures. Call (800) 253-0500 or go online to http://www.knowledgeispower.org. The PUC's main Web site (http://www.cpuc.ca.

In response to customers' concerns about the state's power crisis, Anaheim Public Utilities will start a series of free public information meetings Feb. 8. "We were getting a lot of phone calls. It's calmed down a bit," spokesperson Melanie Nieman said. Marcie Edwards, general manager of Anaheim's utilities, will talk about the statewide shortage of electricity, rate increases and how to deal with rolling blackouts. A Spanish interpreter will be at the 7 p.m. meetings on Feb. 8 and Feb.

Since Gov. Gray Davis is using emotionally charged words to describe the utilities (March 21), let's review. It may be immoral for the utilities to collect money from their customers and not pay the alternative power generators. It is also immoral for the state to: Force the utilities to sell their generating plants; force the utilities to purchase power from the new owners at spot prices (high); limit the amount the utilities can collect from their customers for that same power to a much lower price.

So much for the new, "tougher" Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC, as the agency is known, is in the process of negotiating a settlement with JPMorgan Chase & Co., the huge New York bank that has been accused of serial frauds against California electricity customers and the state's electric distribution system. The reported size of the settlement price could be as high as $500 million, which would be a record penalty in a FERC proceeding. That certainly sounds like a big number.

Record power demand forecast for California this summer means businesses and residents will have to conserve electricity or face blackouts, the state's grid operator said Thursday. Increasing demand in a growing economy and the loss of supplies as some old plants were taken out of service means energy reserves may be unusually low during July and August, according to the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power network.

Top California officials on Wednesday deplored disclosures that a company run by H. Ross Perot provided energy traders with a blueprint for manipulating the state's electricity market, and Gov. Gray Davis called on the federal government to investigate. "If true, this is an ethical violation of the highest order and quite possibly a criminal offense," Davis said in calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate the allegations against Perot Systems Corp.

Two Lynwood sisters died Wednesday after a hair dryer fell into a bathtub and electrocuted them. Here are safety suggestions that could prevent a similar tragedy: * Unplug all counter-top appliances when not in use. This includes toasters, coffee makers, curling irons and hair dryers. When plugged into an outlet, all appliances still have dangerous electrical voltage inside--even when turned off.